Adventures in Turmeric
by Jolt Coralina
Summary: Kolton changes his entire life by going on a Pokémon Journey with a single Egg. As he's finding himself and trying to understand what he wants to do, he meets multiple people and shares a lot of experiences. He knows what others dreams are, he knows what others want to achieve. He thinks he knows others...but do others think they know him. Updates: Whenever
1. Turmeric Beginnings

"Huh, this is…weird. "I chuckled, looking down at the heavy egg in my hands. It's peach tan and multiple sap green spots were identical to any other egg, making the Pokémon in question essentially random chance to what I get. Although, I guess that's the excitement of it. Ever since leaving my town in hopes of doing what so others before me have done, I was undeniably ecstatic at the fact that not only was I on my own adventure, but that I had got an egg. The first route of my journey was anything but interesting. Connecting to my hometown of Almond Village, I had gone up here multiple times for a run, but never been as far as the cross section. The familiar scent of blooming leaves sprouting from trees lingered in my nostrils, with the soft gravel quietly crunching underneath my blue and red trainers. Nothing particularly struck me as different yet, despite having full freedom from this point. It's not like I didn't have freedom before, but more now that I was on my own. Living with my friends, I did have a great time with them, but with them getting older like me, we all decided to go our own ways. We could still contact each other, but our presence with the whole group or just individuals wouldn't be as prominent as prior to our journeys. There was 5 of us in total, with each of us pursuing different careers. I recollected happy and joyous memories I had with the group as I continued walking upon the path of Route 1, still clutching the egg in my hands. After around 10 minutes of walking, I had reached a familiar post. The old nut-brown paint had been scratched and rubbed off, but the markings of words could still be made out:

Route 2 (Left)

Thyme Town (North)

I had heard that: on one hand, the way to Thyme Town was incredibly long, almost a full day's trip, whilst the trip to Biotin Town wasn't as long, but you had to go through a dense forest. I looked at the two near paths, the one leading to Thyme Town leading north east and coming down to a dip after a while, as well as the path leading to Route 2 bending and weaving in numerous ways. To think about my options, I set down my cream white bag and checked once more that I had all that I needed. A few full sets of clothes, shoes and trainers for alternating weathers, quite a few Potions and Pokéballs, quite a bit of money, a dark green sleeping bag and multiple canned foods to keep me going along with a few water bottles. 'Whilst going on your own journey was exciting, you couldn't be ignorant with what you do. You've still got to survive.' I smiled, carefully picking up the egg and putting it inside my bag, making it notably heavier.

After I picked up the bag and slung it over my shoulders, I nodded and made my decision, walking over to the curving path of Route 2. The semi-large egg weighed and slowed me down considerably, making each footstep a bit more that of a task. I guess that was my own decision though. As I continued my way further into Route 2, the large gravel pathway slowly started morph into a rough dirt narrow walk, with the only clear indication of a clear pathway being trampled leaves and grass.

Slowly but surely, I made my way along the Route, until I came to a stop, being faced with a forest. The trees were colossal forces of nature, towering over anything and everything, blocking out even the brightest of suns underneath its harsh canopy. A cacophony of chirping and various other noises was surrounding all that was inside of this place, oak, birch and sycamore trees were scattered everywhere, the path becoming slowly less and less clear. Multiple bug and grass type Pokémon could be barely be seen, but not close enough to fully make out, although the slow scuttering and crunching noises led me believe that they weren't the strongest. Nervous though still determined to not let my journey be ended by a single dense forest, I reluctantly took a step forward into the dark woodland, actively ignoring every sign of concern my mind conjured up.

I surveyed all that was around me. Trees. I had fully surveyed all that was around me. All there was, were endless trees covering everywhere I go, but I guess that's what's in a forest. After a while of walking, I did start to manage to rarely see some Pokémon, I had seen: 3 Caterpies, 2 Metapods, and a single Masquerain. I was sure there was more, but I had no perfect eyesight. As I was still walking through the forest, suddenly a flock of Pidgeys made me flinch, quickly flying from one tree to another.

"Oh, come on, I was just about to catch one." I heard an unfamiliar voice comment. I looked around the tree and, sure enough, a random boy was stood there. He had navy blue joggers with green trainers, a bright green t-shirt and liquid blue hoodie he was carrying too, whilst his emerald green eyes glistened in the sun's reflection.

"Yo. He waved, putting a Pokeball in his back pocket, waving at me.

"Hi?" I chuckled walking towards this stranger.

"The name's Leon, or Leo for short." He comfortably smiled, putting his hands behind head so it was resting on his palms.

"Kolton." I nodded, smiling back. I had never known someone this friendly if I was perfectly honest. I knew not to trust strangers, who doesn't, but it was something about this person who I had known for no longer than 10 seconds that felt warm and approachable. A slight rustle behind his right leg brought my attention back however and I could just barely make out a short, stubby red leg poking out.

"Oh yeah, and this is Growlithe." He picked up the Pokémon, holding his arm and making a waving motion, which the Pokémon rolled its eyes and obliged. "So, what you doing out here?"

"Well, I was trying to find my way out. I've been here for around half an hour. " I scratched the back of my head.

"Well I guess I was about to finish up here anyway, I'll tag along and make sure you don't get eaten shall I. "He chuckled, putting Growlithe down. "Bit dangerous being out here without a Pokémon, eh." He said, walking onwards, not even giving me the option to agree nor deny his offer.

"Yeah, with all the Caterpie I'm shaking. "I teased, putting my hands inside my hoodie pockets.

"Still, you won't get far without one." He replied, kneeling towards Growlithe and letting the fire type to hop on his head.

"Well, I've got an egg with me."

"Oh, can I see?!" He asked curiously.

"Sure." I reached into my bag and grabbed the egg out, figuring it would be a good time to just carry it again.

"Cool, do you know what it's gonna be?"

"No clue, but that's the fun of it." I chuckled, looking down at it. After a bit while more of walking, a faint light started to form, destroying the admittedly real fright of this forest being endless. Slowly, the light came more into focus, until it blinded me to the point where I had to cover my eyes. Then, I felt clean, fresh air fill my nostrils. I opened my eyes once more to see a nut-brown sign, almost identical to the one I had seen before Route 2, which simply read: Welcome to Biotin Town.


	2. Biotin Confrontation

Compared to Almond village, Biotin town was clearly the bigger of the two. Multiple two-story houses covered the entire landscape, with the only piece of nature within the town being a small hill and trees or bushes that a house occasionally grown. With my home village only having five houses to its miniscule name, the considerably more amount of homes in this place surprised me to say the least. My eyes were gazing every detail of each house, slowly decaying painted red bricks were scattered throughout, with windows and bedrooms inside every home gave me a bit of homesickness, despite only being just an hour after my departure.

"Alright then Kolton, you made it alive." Leo held Growlithe in his hands," What's your plan?"

"Well…I guess I'm gonna try and beat all the gyms and then the Turmeric League."

"Well those are some big dream. What you gonna do, crush the Pokémon with the Egg?" He laughed, starting to walk down the dirt pathway, leading into the town.

"Eh, they're a starting point. Anyway, what about you." I asked, starting to follow him.

"Oh, me? I'm getting all 5 contest ribbons."

"They do that in this region?"

"Yeah! Of course!"

"Alright then. "I rolled my eyes, but still smiling.

"Anyway, if you're hoping to get all the badges, the first gym is here."

"In Biotin Town?!"

"Yeah. Head North and you can't miss it. Tallest building. "He replied, pointing towards that direction.

"Thanks." We carried on walking together until we reached a large red building, with the Pokeball symbol engraving used as a sign. Walking in, the bright electronic lights blinded me again. As Leo walked towards the counter and talked to the women at the desk, I took the time to sit on the comfortable seat and place the egg on the table, examining it. It was warmer from being in my bag, but it felt much heavier since being in Biotin. I guess walking around for an hour made it that closer to hatching, which I was at this point almost desperate for the answer to what it would be.

"Here Kolton, can you do me a favour? "Leo asked, clipping a leash onto his Growlithe. "I know you don't like it buddy, I won't be long."

"What's wrong."

"Can you take care of Growlithe for like, five minutes or something whilst I get something, I'll be quick."

"Sure, go for it." I nodded, holding onto the Pokémon's leash whilst Leon ran out of the door, with the day slowly turning into a crisp golden sunset.

Despite apparently not liking it, Growlithe seemed somewhat comfortable. He started to pace around the table, going in circles, being careful not to tighten the leash. Then, he seemed to start to notice the Egg, as he made his way around it, sniffing the base and top of it. I smiled as I looked on at the Puppy Pokémon tap the egg and jump away suddenly, obviously nervous what would happen. Suddenly, he turned around and started to viciously growl towards the door, baring his teeth and extending his claws.

"Woah, Growlithe what's wrong. "I put my hand on the head of the Pokémon, the fire typing of him heating up my hand. Seemingly in response to this, Growlithe barked towards the entrance of the door, which made me look towards the double doors. Sure enough, the Pokémon's fear was confirmed, as an ear-splitting pop was heard, immediately spreading a grey smoke in front of the entrance. Yells and shouts of confusion were all that could be heard, as nothing could be seen. I quickly grabbed the still growling fire-type and the Egg, pushing us against the wall, limiting the options of any directions of danger. I spluttered against the oncoming smoke, forced to cover my eyes but still clutching onto both Pokémon and eventual Pokémon. Abruptly, I felt a force start to grab the Pokémon egg in my right hand. Out of instinct of fear for the Egg and me, I kicked out, feeling the impact of something and a grunt afterwards.

"Damn kid. "I heard someone whisper. Luckily enough, I had kicked a human. However, this prompted him to try and take the Egg with more force.

"Let…go! "I spluttered. Feeling that he had full grip of the Egg, I gave myself up to chance. Quickly, I let go it, feeling the person grab hold of it, but no longer than a second later I swung my fist towards that general direction. As luck would it, I felt impact, hitting the rib of someone. A large yell followed this "Come on, let's get out of here!" The man ordered, hearing footsteps. However, none if this was my interest, because as I felt the impact of my fist with the man's rib, I felt the rough surface of the Pokémon Egg brush against my arm. As quickly as I could, I reached out to grab it, but seeing nothing but darkness hindered my capabilities to do so. I felt it brush my fingertips and then: *_CRACK_*.

It took a while for the smoke to clear, but I didn't dare move a muscle, still holding onto Growlithe. After a while, I dared to open my eyes, not wanting to but knowing I had to understand the fate of the Pokémon inside the Egg. What I saw broke my heart. The Egg had landed harshly on one side, cracking the better half of a quarter of the bottom right of it. I knelt to the floor, just staring at the Egg. I had failed. I had already failed. A little over an hour was all it took to destroy 8 years of preparation and excitement. Even Growlithe seemed to notice this, nudging the Egg with his nose, sniffing it and everything.

"Kolton?!"I heard Leon call, running over to me, sweat dripping down his forehead. "What happened?"

I didn't reply, to distraught to. Even if I wanted to it would just come out at a single groan, so I simply pointed to the cracked Egg. At this point, I felt all eyes were on us, being in the centre of the room and the cause of much commotion.

"Kolton….I'm….so sorry." Leo sighed, putting his hand on my shoulder. He grabbed Growlithe leash off the floor, nudging the fire type away from the Egg, which he was still curiously sniffing at. However, instead of obeying his trainer, the Pokémon walked over to the Egg again, continuing prodding and pawing at it.

"Growlithe, come on." Leo pulled on the leash harsher this time, but once more Growlithe edged over to the cracked object. Suddenly, he started barking at it, swinging his tail back and forth excitedly.

"Growlithe, it's useless….It's gone. "I sobbed, now looking down at the ground. Barking again, Growlithe sniffed the Egg another time, until an unexpected crack caught us off guard. I quickly looked up, sure enough another part of the Egg had cracked, revealing a small piece of white and brown fur. Slowly, another part of the Egg snapped off, showing more of the Pokémon. Eventually, every piece of the Egg had broken off, leaving the single figure of a Pokémon tilted to one side. Then, it's eyes started to open, beautiful brown eyes starting to form. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was alive. The Pokémon was alive…And what a Pokémon it was.

"Eeveeee!" The newly hatched Pokémon smiled.


	3. Promises, Plans, Agreements

Gasping, my shaking arms slowly reached down towards the hatched normal type. I picked it up by its fluffy stomach, savouring the feeling of obtaining my very own Pokémon. I wiped the tears from my eyes with my hoodie, gratefully staring at the Eevee. However, as I raised it up, I noticed that its front right leg was cooked at an awkward angle. concerned, I quickly rushed it over to the counter.  
"It's leg's crooked. Can you help it?"I frantically explained to Nurse Joy, who had seen all the events of the spectacular scene.  
"I will see what I can do."She nodded, picking up the injured Eevee and walking into the back part of the Pokecentre.  
"Kolton, this is amazing. Eevee survived a cracked egg!"Leo joyously commented as I walked back over to him.  
"I know, but it's le-"  
"Kolton, you have your own Pokémon. This isn't time to dwell on things. You have your very own Pokémon!"  
"Yeah...yeah. I have a Pokémon and injured or not I will care for it!"I promised not only myself, but Eevee too.  
After a while of explaining what had happened with the smoke and thieves and multiple praises from Leo for saving Growlithe, Nurse Joy returned with a still smiling Eevee in her hands.  
"Unfortunately, we found that as a result of the Egg being cracked early, his-"  
"His?"Leo but in.  
"Yes, his. Anyway, due to his Egg being cracked early and before birth, his leg will be forever broken and out of doesn't seem to be bothered by it though, as no discomforts or pain was noticed. It's like he can't feel it's there. Think of it like a birth defect."She expalined, carefully placing the young Eevee back on the table, who looked around curiously.  
"Nah, it's no birth defect. It's unique."I smiled down at the Eevee, who stared right back into my eyes, seemingly understanding that it was my partner. I picked it up, now looking at its leg bending out at one side. I ignored it and put it on my head, feeling the soft warmth of Eevee's fur on my hair. I turned around to Leo, carrying his own Pokémon. I knelt so Eevee and Growlithe were both the same hight, immediatly becoming comfortable with each other's presence by talking to one another.  
"So, what's the plan?"I asked.  
"The plan is to stay here for the night and grab a meal, I'm starving."Leo chuckled, walking over to the counter to ask about staying. Minutes later, we were walking down a rose-red corridor until we found an empty, two bed room. Walking into it with our collection of pizza and Pokémon food, we both crashed onto the beds ready to rest since walking for ages.

"Kolton, I've thought. Not to be rude or anything, but if you're gonna want to challenge all the gyms and then the league, you're not gonna get far with a constantly injured Pokémon." Leo commented, filling his mouth with a large slice of pizza.  
"I'll...just have to catch other Pokémon."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah...I guess. Either way I'm bringing Eevee every step of the way." I replied, eating a bit of my food.  
"Or every limp." He sniggered.  
"Leo!" I chuckled,"You can't say that." I laughed, looking over to Eevee. It was curiously sniffing his Pokémon food, until he noticed Growlithe ravenously chowing down on his own, which made up the Evolution Pokémon's mind, rather quickly eating his food and enjoying it.  
"Anyway, what's the deal with these contests?"I asked after a while, beginning to get full from my pizza.  
"Oh. Well, a trainer picks two of their Pokémon to 'perform.' Instead of battling, the Pokémon use their attacks to create a spectacle and art to entertain as well as impress the audience. The audience picks who they believe was the best performance, and the performer who wins gets a ribbon. Obtain five ribbons and you're into the last competition, where someone will be crowned the Contest Star King or Queen."He enjoyed every syllable of what he was explaining, clearly having an abnormal passion for contests.  
"Well, good luck."I nodded, raising my last slice as a sort of toast.  
"Who do you think you are?"Leo laughed, "We've both shared our stories and goals, it's decided, we're travelling together."  
I almost choked on my final slice from the remark.  
"Seriously...you're ok with that?"I stared at him.  
"Yeah, it would be a shame for this friendship to lose steam."  
"Alright then...cool. Yeah. Leo and Oliver, Pokemon League Champion and Contest Star King."I nodded.  
"Now that sounds like a title."He laughed back, finishing his last slice of pizza and turning the light next to his bed off.

"OW!"  
"What?!"Leo asked.  
"There's an Eevee there."I sniggered, holding my finger from the sudden bite the Pokémon gave me. I could almost see the small smirk on his face.


	4. Starting Point

I was awoken by a sudden heavy movement on my stomach. I felt it move about and nudge me until I finally sat up, slowly opening my eyes to happily see Eevee sat on my lap. He stared up at me and cried, having the biggest grin stretched across his face to see his trainer awake.

"Alright… I'm awake." I yawned, stretching my body after a wonderful nights sleep, although it did seem I slept on my arm. I sat up from my bed and looked over at the quietly snoring Leo, half his body precariously hanging off the bed with Growlithe comfortably sat in the centre of it. Silently laughed to myself, picking up the empty pizza boxes and making my bed. I was already grateful enough for a comfortable place to sleep for a low price, I didn't want to leave it in a mess too. As I picked up Eevee's food bowl, I looked at it excitedly jump about the room, but not getting very far and falling on the floor every time, but determinedly getting back up again after a minute or two. I smiled down at his determination, honestly thinking it was a little cute.  
"Hey, Eevee. "I whispered, getting the Pokémon's attention. "Wanna go outside for a bit? "I asked.  
"Eeeeveeeeeee. "He cried, stumbling forward towards me quite quickly. He seemed to like the idea. I picked him up by his stomach, hooking my arms around it, so he was pushed up against my chest to make sure he wouldn't fall, but careful enough to the point where it wouldn't hurt him. I walked out of the room and down the corridor, until I reached the back part of the Pokémon Centre. It was a simple, small dirt field, with set fighting boundaries with white paint either side of it, creating a rectangle. I looked up at the sky. I wasn't a morning person, but I guess the excitement of my first Pokémon had shifted that. The sky was a beautiful dark blue, with the sun creating a small bit of visible light. With it being mostly night, the coal darkness engulfed most of my surrounding, with constant chirping occurring from nocturnal Pokémon. I set Eevee down on the Pokeball in the middle of the battlefield, curious to see what it could do.  
"Alright then Eevee. Hit me." I nodded, standing the other side of the Pokeball. With great determination, Eevee jumped up with quite impressive height, managing to actually get across the Pokeball and hit me right in by stomach.  
"Tackle...nice. "I grunted. Whilst he wasn't the strongest, he was still a Pokémon. "Anything else? "I asked it, knelling down to him, who had now got back up from his attack. He stared at me directly in the pupils of my eyes and opened his mouth. Then, he tilted his head to one side and growled, cutely smiled as he did so.  
"That growl will even work on a Ghost type. "I laughed, picking up the small Pokémon one more.  
"Really? It'll be lucky if it can even land an attack." I turned to see an unfamiliar face, staring down at us, being that bit taller than me. He had a black leather jacket and plain white t-shirt, with blue shorts and a black hat.  
"What do you mean? "I replied, not being intimidated by this figure in the slightest.  
"Oh don't tell me you're this incompetent to not realize that this Eevee is practically useless."  
"Ohhh. You're on of them."  
"Sorry?!"  
"You're one of them people. 'Pokémon are nothing if they're not powerful. I've seen your kind all around, and just for the record, I think you're disgusting."I replied, starting to turn my back, bored with him.  
"Hey!" He grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to look back at him. "How dare you talk to me like that, and how dare turn your back on me." He ordered, but I didn't care, turning around again. Then, I felt a two hands forcefully push me to the ground, sending me crashing into the dirt. I quickly got back up, rushing towards this bully, but he pulled out a Pokeball and released the Pokémon inside it. I had moments to stop my momentum until a Pinsir appeared, sharp pincers poised and ready to snap.  
"I am Duncan, the best Pokémon Trainer the world has ever seen. The next Pokémon Champion of Turmeric. You better not get in my way. "He said, starting to walk inside.  
"That was stupid."  
"Why?"  
"'Cause now I know your name. "I grinned, wiping the dirt off my joggers, the sunrise creating a beautiful glow behind me.  
"It doesn't matter. You're pathetic and weak, good luck beating me." He sternly replied, putting Pinsir back in its Pokeball.  
"Don't need it." I picked Eevee back up, making sure he heard the promise before the doors closed. Eevee nudged my face, looking at me concerned.  
"Don't worry about him. People like that never get anywhere. "I told the Normal-Type. "You did amazing for your first time, I really felt that tackle. "I smiled, stroking his soft head.  
"Eevee!"He cried out.  
"Come on, lets go wake up Leo. "I said, walking back indoors. I may not fully know this bully, but I knew that I had to show him how every Pokémon is precious, not just animals for fighting. 'His ignorance will get him eventually'. I told myself. I didn't know a lot of him, but I knew his name and that was enough.

"So where's the first contest you're challenging? "I asked Leo as we packed up out things ready to leave the Pokecentre.  
"Um...Chervil City, past Route 3."  
"What direction's that in? "I picked up Eevee and put him on my shoulder, quite tired from earlier.  
"North of here, what's your plan?"  
"Well, I guess I'll grab a Pokémon on Route 3, watch your contest and then challenge this gym. "I said, closing the door behind us. "Any idea what type it is? "I nudged Leo as we walked down the corridor for the final time.  
"Nope! You're on your own. "He chuckled. "OH! I meant to tell you, Nurse Joy wanted to see you before you left. A gift or something like that."  
"A gift? Why?"  
"Your guess is as good as mine. "He shrugged, resting his head on the palms of his hands. Slowly, the red, carpet floor changed into the clear glass floor of the main part of the building.  
"I'll meet you outside. "Leo said, nodding at Nurse Joy who was talking to her Chansey  
"Hi, Leo said that you apparently had a gift for me? "I asked, admittedly very confused.  
"Oh, not from me. Someone sent it in the mail for you. A person with the name of Dusk I believe. "She explained, handing me a small package.  
"Dusk, you finally remembered. "I sighed.  
"You know of him."  
"A friend from my old village. He's been owing my something for a while now. "I laughed, opening up the package. It felt very light in my hands, and as I tore at the cardboard I knew that he had fulfilled his promise. A small, red Pokedex slightly bigger than one of my hands appeared. Smiling down at it, I noticed it's intricate designs for me personally, with lightning bolts and fists covering the exterior of the device.  
"Thank you. "I nodded, smiling down at the Pokedex, throwing the cardboard in the bin.  
"My pleasure, good luck on your travels and look after that Eevee. "She smiled at the Pokémon, who grinned back. I placed the Pokedex directly opposite Eevee's face. Suddenly it opened up, showed a perfect image of my Eevee and read out in a robotic voice:

Eevee, Normal Type, Evolution Pokémon.

0'90" and 13.7lbs

Ability-Adaptability

Moves: Tackle, Growl

Level 3

Eevee is the only Pokémon that can evolve into more than 4 different evolutions. It's unique ability to do so has caused many to believe it is the key to finding about the mysteries of Pokémon Evolution.

S smiled as I walked out of the building, suddenly knowing a lot about my Pokémon. I saw Leo staring up at the sun fully start to rise, a serene lemon yellow hue covering the clear ocean blue sky. It was beautiful. It marked the start of both of our adventures, with both of our starting Pokémon ready to join us.  
"You ready. "Leo turned.  
"Yeah...let's go. "I said, slipping the Pokedex in my pocket and ruffling Eevee's fur.


	5. New Experiences

The trip to Route 3 was fairly quiet. I did notice the gym on the outskirt of the town, next to the edge of it. It was kind of plain, with two glass double doors and silver exterior, reading 'Pokémon Gym' on one side. Apart from that and a caramel roof , it was incredibly barren, with the only detail I could pick up on being a sapphire blue outlining the edge of the doors. I decided to put my mind off it and focus my attention on something else.  
"Leo, I've noticed something. You said that a trainer picks two of their Pokémon, but you only have Growlithe. "I commented, noticing that we were coming up to the edge of quite a large hill.  
"Yeah, I'm hoping to capture a Pokémon on Route 3, train it up, and go from there."  
"Really. In the same day?"  
"It's worth a shot. "He sighed, starting to walk up the hill. The hill alone was probably most of the battle to Chervil City, its gravel path forcing weak pebbles to fall down, rising the chance of one of us slipping and being taken down with them. I had to move Eevee's position multiple times, being too heavy to carry after ten seconds, and forcing me down further when on my shoulder and head, but that was mostly due to my tiredness. It took a while to get up the hill, probably more than it should. Five minutes to get up a single hill.  
"This contest better be worth it." I chuckled to Leo, seconds away from the top.  
"Oh, it is." He said, finally being able to rest after pulling me up too. We both sat on the floor from exhaustion, breathing heavily as our feet took a well deserved rest.  
"Leo, can I borrow Growlithe for a sec'?"  
"Sure. Why?"  
I slipped out my Pokedex and raised it to Growlithe's level, who was happily jumping around Eevee, still having all their energy:  
Growlithe, Fire Type, Puppy Pokémon.  
2'05" and 41.2lbs  
Ability-Flash Fire  
Moves: Bite, Roar, Ember, Leer  
Level 7  
Growlithe is cute and peaceful when with it's trainer, but if it notices discomfort in it's trainer around something or someone, it will bark and bite.  
"Woah. "Leo whispered.  
"I know, he's even got four moves."  
"No. Woah." He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around until I was facing what he was looking at. Sure enough, it was breath-taking:  
On one side of the pathway, a vast collection of yellow plants covered everywhere the eye could see. The honey flowers mixed with the distant mountain in the horizon created a scene that looked like it was stolen straight out of a movie. On the opposite side of the flowers was a small, calm stream of water slowly turning around a corner and into a forest, but I had my fill of forests for now. A bustling amount of Pokémon were here too. Water Pokémon filled up the water, bird Pokémon flew around above whilst grass Pokémon ran around the latter half of the field.  
"Now this is where we're gonna find some new Pokémon."I laughed, forgetting all about our journey up the hill and picked up Eevee. I ran around on the path, slowly circling around to intake all I could see. I held Eevee up in my hands so it could see it all too, and the pure look of joy of his face let me know that even just two days into my adventure was worth it all.  
"Now I have to grab a Pokémon from here." I laughed, looking around to see any Pokémon that peaked my interest.  
"Alright then mate, calm down." Leo laughed as he rolled his eyes at my excitement. We slowly continued on walking, with me pointing out each Pokémon I saw. Poliwag and Surskits swam in the water, Pidgeys flew across the sky as countless Sunkern and Jumpluff's blended into the plants.  
"I wonder what I should catch." Leo sighed at the dilemma.  
"Well, what do you reckon will be good in a contest?"  
"Um... The Poliwags could morph their water attacks with Growlithe's Ember, but a Pidgey could be quite good too."  
"How about that." I pointed.  
"What, a flower?"  
"No. That." I pointed again at the Pokémon that blended into the yellow flowers. It was carrying one of it's own, with the only major difference a plant being it's white body and small emerald crown.  
"What's that Pokémon?" Leo asked, so I instinctively pulled out my Pokedex:  
Flabébé, Fairy Type, Single Bloom Pokémon.  
0'04" and 0.3lbs  
Ability-Flower Veil  
Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Fairy Wind  
Level 6  
Once Flabébé finds a flower that it likes, it morphs with that flower and becomes the majority of it's body, especially after evolution.  
"Damn, cool. Yeah, I'll catch it." Leo confidently nodded, signalling Growlithe to come with him. The Flabébé hovered towards them too, having a battle ready stare on her face.  
"Tackle! "Leo shouted, and in response his Growlithe bounced off it's back paws and launched itself straight towards the Fairy Type with admirable speed. The Flabébé dodged out of the way of the attack, making Growlithe land into a group of flowers , but he quickly got back up and laid low, awaiting his trainers next orders, patiently waiting. Suddenly, Flabébé churned it's body backwards, and launched forwards a collection of fast pink particles.  
"Ember! "Leo called, making the Puppy Pokémon fight back with his own elemental attack. Growlithe growled for a moment, then shooting a large, crisp flame from his mouth. The two collided with one another, battling for dominance but being the more powerful of the two in this case, the Ember won, blasting through the Fairy Wind and hitting Flabébé square in the flower, sending it sprawling onto the path.  
"Alright!" Leo grabbed a small Pokeball out one of his pockets, clicking the centre of the circular machine to make it bigger. He threw the ball at the Pokémon with precise accuracy, turning the Pokémon into a red flash and sent into the Pokeball. It rolled on the floor for a minute, until a flash of white and stillness of it signalled that the Flabébé had been caught.  
"Nice." He walked over to the Pokeball, picking it up, "I know we're going to do great things Flabébé." He smiled.  
"Nice job. "I chuckled, applauding his single minute battle and putting Eevee on my shoulder after carrying him for a bit.  
"Thanks, aren't you gonna get yourself a Pokémon?"  
"...Nah, I'm good for now. I'll watch your performance and then I will. "I nodded, starting to walk further onto the pathway. After about another minute of travels, we reached a large dip, directly the same size to the one we had climbed up earlier. We both looked at each other, nodding and smiling too, both mentally agreeing on the obvious thing to do. We sprinted down the hill, competing to be the first person to get into the city.  
"I won. "I happily raised my arms but regretting the decision as sweat dripped down my forehead.  
"Yeah, you're fast. "He said, playfully punching my arm.  
"So...what does the contest place looked like?"  
"Large building with ribbon on it, "Leo replied, putting his hands on his knees as Growlithe looked up at his trainer confused,"Why?"  
"Because we're gonna need some luck finding it."I laughed, pointing at a sign that read: Chervil City, emphasising the word 'City'.


	6. A Battle and A Contest

Chervil City was littered with rows upon rows of multi coloured houses, messily clumped together to fit upon the multiple roads. Each house was at least three stories, making the trip around the city make us feel a lot smaller compared to some of the residents here. I got a feeling that every town or city I walked in would be impressive to me at this rate, especially coming from Almond Village. As we continued on deeper into Chervil, I noticed a few houses covered in green moss and overgrown plants, presuming not every house was being used, having a medieval kind of atmosphere within the city. A large cylinder building could be seen in the distance, protruding on the top of a hill, but it's placement was a largely different to the squashed houses down below.  
"Don't you think you should talk to Flabébé about what you're gonna do?" I asked once we reached a Pokecentre and renting out a room for the night.  
"Yeah, I was gonna train with her and Growlithe soon."  
"Can I watch?" I turned to him after I took the key off Nurse Joy's hands.  
"Eh I wanna surprise you, why don't you explore the city, have a walk or something. "He replied, walking down the corridor to our room.  
"Alright then, good luck. "I nodded, chucking him the keys and my bad to leave in the room as I rushed out of the doors.  
"You ready Eevee? "I asked the Normal-Type putting him on my shoulder.  
"Eve! "He smiled back.  
"Then hold on tight. "I replied, unzipping my hoodie and beginning to run along the pathway. With it still being morning, I had all the energy in the world to run to my hearts content. I happily ran around pathways and roads, crossing multiple shops and houses along the way. The wind sharply brushed against my semi-long mess of hair, cooling me down for a little bit before the sweat trickled down my head again. I had always been the fastest runner in my group whilst also having an admirable amount of stamina, ensuring that I could run around the city for quite a while. Around 20 minutes after leaving the Pokecentre, I decided to have a rest next to a lamppost.  
"How was that Eevee? "I asked, looking across at the Pokémon.  
"Eeveeee. "He hopped off my shoulder, landing weirdly on his broken leg but determinedly getting back up.  
"Yo, you got a Pokémon."I turned to see a random stranger walk towards us, Pokeball in hand.  
"Um...yeah, why?"  
"Good, lets battle." She smiled, tossing the Pokeball up in the air and revealing a flying Murkrow.  
"Wait, you don't understand. "I said, picking Eevee up and showing his damaged leg.  
"Damn it. What you gonna do with that anyway?" She sighed, getting ready to send Murkrow back into it's Pokeball.

_Oh don't tell me you're this incompetent to not realize that this Eevee is practically useless_

"You wanna battle. "I whispered to Eevee, who confidently nodded and walked in front of me. "Come on then, you gonna battle or not. "I called to the trainer.  
"Are you serious!? Fine, your Pokémon that needs healing." She turned around, somewhat annoyed, her Murkrow flying a bit higher.  
"Murkrow, Peck!" She called, instructing the Pokémon so it flew straight towards Eevee.  
"Dodge it! "I yelled, so Eevee launched itself out of the way of the Murkrow, taking a moment to get back up, to which the Murkrow had taken the opportunity already reset itself.  
"Screech!"  
"Growl!"  
The two sound attacks connected to each other with an invisible force, but the outlines of both moves were the only indication that anything had happened. The mess of the sounds was ear splitting, causing me to cover my ears in pain. Both flying and grounded Pokémon stood their ground, not wanting to disappoint either of their trainers. However, Eevee slipped on the ground for a slip second, destroying the Growl and allowing the to hit Murkrow him full force with its attack. Eevee collapsed on the ground, covering one of his ears with his paw, squirming and quivering out of discomfort.  
"Eevee! "I called out in concern, but before I could react further, the other trainer had already called for another attack. Murkrow shot itself like a bullet towards Eevee once again, taking advantage of him being forced to stay down.  
"Eev-!" I shouted again, but it was too late, Murkrow collided with him and a collection of sand and dust covered them. We couldn't see the fate of our Pokémon, but she seemed to have full confidence in the dark type winning. However, Murkrow suddenly recoiled away from the sand, covering its eyes and shaking its head. I looked back at the now clearing dust, and Eevee was stood back up, staring directly at the Noibat.  
"Tackle! "I yelled again, and not a second later Eevee pounced of his hind legs to launch himself into the air. His accuracy was perfect and hit the Murkrow in the stomach with a powerful impact, taking advantage of its pain just as it had done to Eevee earlier. Eevee landed back on the ground with a thud, but slowly got back up to his three feet. The same couldn't be said for the now fainted Murkrow.  
"Tch, it's just luck. "She spat, picking up her Murkrow and walking away. I didn't pay attention though. I was to busy running towards Eevee and proudly picking him up.  
"Eevee that was amazing!" I shouted, gratefully stroking his messy fur. The Pokémon cocked his head and smiled, calling out powerfully seeing as the battle he just had.

"So, he learned Sand-Attack huh." Leo said, opening the bedroom door and putting Growlithe's, Eevee's and Flabébé's food on the floor.  
"Yeah, he was really impressive," I said, smiling down at the Evolution Pokémon. "So how did training go?"  
"Quite good to be fair. I've learned some good combinations of moves ready for later."  
"Tell me, please." I jokingly begged, the excitement getting to me quite a bit.  
"Nope, you'll just have to wait."  
"How much longer?" I sighed, laying down on the bed.  
"Um...two minutes. "He replied, pulling out his watch. "Wait...TWO MINUTES!" He shouted, quickly grabbing his bag.  
"Guys, you done. Good. Come on." He rushed the Pokémon on, who hurriedly ate their food and rushed out of the door.  
"See you soon Kolton! Centre of the City! Don't miss it!" I heard him yell, before his and his Pokémon's footsteps trailed off. All me and Eevee could do was stare at the open door in confusion and amusement of what had happened in the past 5 seconds.

"Kolton?" I saw one of the people at the desk ask, as soon as I was about to walk into the audience.  
"Yeah?" I turned.  
"Leon asked us to lead you to him, he wants you to have the first look." The women explained, hurriedly walking over to a separate door. I obliged and followed her, kind of excited and flattered that Leo would allow me to see him prior to the contest. We carried on walking backstage, through multiple wires and wood planks holding backdrops up, until she led me to a single room titled :'Dressing Room'.  
"He's in there." She opened the door and let me inside.  
"Yo dude, you alright." Leo said as I walked in. His clothing was no different to the one he had left in, but his posture and voice was abnormally confident. Growlithe's fur was brushed to perfection, with no strand being left untouched to make to Pokémon look as powerful as possible, whilst Flabébé's flower was upright and prepared for whatever they were going to do.  
"Yeah, you ready?" I leaned on the wall as Eevee talked to the fire and fairy type.  
"No," He chuckled, straightening his hoodie and brushing his hair to one side, "How do I look?"  
"Like you're ready to win." I nodded.  
"Thanks, right, I'm on first, so you better run to get a seat." He laughed, so I nodded to my friend and picked up Eevee, rushing out of the backstage area to the seats at the back. As I sat down, the apprehension of seeing both Leo perform and watching my first contest kind of overwhelmed me, not being able to sit still in the slightest and constantly stoking Eevee's fur.  
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" A voice roared on the stage. A woman with a beautiful blue dress stood in the centre of the brightly lit yellow stage. "Thank you for joining us tonight! Today, we have a wonderful set of performers lined up, and the first of them is: LEON FROM BIOTIN TOWN!" As the women walked off-stage, my enthusiasm was through the roof.

/watch?v=yQYFNdyS3fc

Suddenly, the yellow backdrops opened up, revealing Leo, Growlithe and Flabébé, much to the excitement of the crowd who gave him a thundering applause and cheers, mine being the loudest however. As he stood in the centre of the stage, a subtle piece of music started playing, with quick synth melody being heard.  
Leo lifted his arms either side of him and closed his eyes, seemingly causing both Pokémon to jump in the air.

_**"Oh wizard,**_

_**What do you see?"**_

Growlithe landed on his head with Flabébé stood on top of Growlithe, with Leo's arms still raised up.

_**"As you twist the tiles**_

_**Beneath**_

_**Our feet."**_

Whilst synth chords and bass drum quickly started to build up, causing even much more eagerness from the audience, Leo pointed up at the ceiling with his right hand, clenched his fist and opened his eyes.

_**"What do you see?"**_

As soon as the drop of the song started, Growlithe and Flabébé leapt off of Leo's head, and allowed him to rhythmically dance on the stage, with his feet abnormally moving perfectly to the notes in the chorus. Whilst he was doing this, Growlithe, still in mid-air, swirled his head in a figure of eight pattern, and a small piece of red flame could be seen in his mouth.  
"What do you see?"  
Prior to his landing, he shot the Ember out, causing it to shoot upwards to the ceiling creating a burning ribbon. Then, Flabébé created her own elemental attack and sent it towards the ribbon. As the Fairy Wind connected, the ribbon exploded into a beautiful sea of pink and red, surrounding the entire audience in alluring particles that were identical to that of a firework.

_**"Oh wizard,**_

_**What do you see?"**_

Flabébé and Growlithe leapt backwards on the stage as Leo stopped dancing and stood in the middle of them.

_**"As you twist the tiles."**_

_**"Beneath"**_

_**"Our feet."**_

Afterwards, Leo crouched down to pick up Flabébé and Growlithe, to then throw them up in the air, but Growlithe was considerably more high than the Single Bloom Pokémon.  
Flabébé called out her name and shot out another Fairy Wind in mid-air, once again progressing to the ceiling. Before she landed for a final time, she closed her eyes and multiple pieces of long, moss green vines met the Fairy Wind and started to constrict it.  
All eyes were now on Growlithe, as he quickly approached the now fully constricted Fairy Wind, with both of Flabébé's attacks becoming smaller and smaller. He opened up his mouth and bit down on the attack, before rapidly moving backwards.  
The combination of the three attacks caused them to erupt, the Fairy Wind spreading like wildfire across the arena. Growlithe was sent crashing down to the floor with large pace, but before he was about to hit it, Leo leapt in front to catch him in his arms, holding both his Pokémon, and taking a well-deserved bow.

"And the results are in," The women called out, "And the winner, by a large difference, is...LEO FROM BIOTIN TOWN!" The audience leapt up in unison to applaud him. His performance was nothing short of amazing and something even a professional would be impressed by. Sure, I had nothing to compare it too, but I couldn't imagine a lot of people being able to pull such an incredible act. Leo joyfully jumped in the air when his name was called and gratefully took the red ribbon of the women's hands, raising it up to show the audience.

"Dude! What the hell was that?!" I high-fived Leon as soon as he left his dressing room.  
"Was it alright?" He asked, putting Flabébé back into her Pokeball.  
"It was unbelievable! That combination of Ember and Fairy Wind was crazy, and the ending with Vine Whip and Bite was just... It's no wonder you won. "I chuckled as we made our way outside of the backstage.  
"Thanks," He nervously chuckled, "As soon as I saw Fairy Wind and Ember connect, I knew there was potential for something cool."  
"Well, you did amazing, first contest and you won it." I said as we reached the entrance of the actual inside of the building.  
"Yo! Leon! That was amazing!" A voice yelled.  
"Yeah, you did really good!" Another shouted as we left the building.  
"You better get used to that." I nodded.  
"Yeah," He sighed, "The more ribbons I win, the more popular I'll get."  
"Oh, speaking of ribbon's, can we see it then?"  
"Sure." Leo replied, pulling out a black case with five ribbons etched into it, four of them not being used and handed me his only ribbon. The crimson red reward he had received had a cylinder like object sewed into the soft fabric, identical to the one that was atop the hill above us.  
"Huh, cool. You did really good too." I remarked, showing it to Eevee and kneeling down to Growlithe, stroking the Puppy Pokémon.  
"Yeah, only four more to go." He commented.  
"Well keep on working like that, four in the bag." I handed it back, starting to walk to the Pokecentre.  
"Can we go for a little detour first?" Leo asked.  
"Sure." I shrugged, walking in the opposite direction. The sunset started to slowly turn into night, with both of us recollecting our experiences of the day. After a minute or so of walking, we reached a small beach, with the blackberry sky and bright moon making the waves slow and calm whilst the moon glistened in the shimmering, clear water.  
"Kolton?" Leo sat on the soft sand, the relaxing sound of the waves and crunching of sand making a truly serene atmosphere.  
"Yeah?" I sat down too, letting Eevee go and walk about on the sand.  
"You really think I could do this?"  
"What?"  
"Become a contest star King. All respect and comforting from a friend aside, if I was a total stranger, do you think I would be good enough?"  
"Of course! What you did out there was incredible! Even a professional contest master would be jealous of what you did! The combinations were really cool!"  
"Yeah, but...sti-"  
"Leon...you may not believe in yourself. I do. The audience did and that's why you won. You are going places. Never forget that. Your creativity is unique, keep on reaching for your goal, because you have the skills to do so." I stood up, meaning every syllable I spoke.  
"T-thanks...I needed that."


	7. A New Partner

"So, what's the plan moving forward?" Leon sighed after we finally got up the hill once more.  
"Well... I guess I'm gonna challenge the Biotin gym." I knelt down next to him, not really having a plan as of that moment.  
"With just Eevee?" He asked as we looked out at the city we had just come from, the fresh feeling of dawn calmly warming our faces. "No offense to him but you are putting yourself at a disadvantage here."  
"Look, I don't care what anyone thinks, Eevee is precious to me and I see him equal to any other Pokemon, with or without a broken leg." I protectively stroked the back of the normal-types neck.  
"Yeah, I get that, sorry mate." He smiled at Eevee, who just cocked his head to the right side in confusion.  
"If he is determined to carry on and battle even with a 'disadvantage', then I will stick by his side with that thought process."  
"Alright, I was just saying. I can tell you're adamant about Eevee's potential, and I can kind of respect that."  
"That's right, I am," I stood up, clicking my knuckles in preparation for the rest of the day, "Although it won't hurt to grab another 'mon, what do you say Eevee?" In response, he jumped down from my head and onto the floor, being able to land on his feet and not stumble down, which was admittedly quite the shock for both me and Leon. I wasn't really interested in any of the Flabebe's like Leon, nor a flying or water type. I was beginning to lose hope in really desiring a Pokemon from Route 3, until I looked out on the field and saw a grass type that particularly piqued my interest on the other side of the small river.  
"What's that Pokemon?" I asked myself, bringing out my Pokedex:

**Skiddo, Grass Type, Mount Pokémon**

**2'12" 68.3lbs**

**Ability: Sap Sipper**

**Moves: Tackle, Growth **

**Skiddo is said to be one of the first Pokémon to live alongside a human, long ago. If it grows weak, it's able to use the leaves on its back to generate energy.**

"How about Skiddo?" I asked my partner.  
"Eeveeee." He cried in return.  
"Alright." I put my bag on the ground after grabbing a few Pokéballs  
The Skiddo seemed to sense what was happening, as it's black eyes stared directly at us as Eevee and hopped into the river.  
"Eevee! Tackle!" I called out to my partner. The normal type leaped into the air, prepared to collide with the Skiddo. However, he was equally matched in the air when the grass type jumped into the air too, and sent its body crashing into Eevee's. The Evolution Pokémon quickly got back to his feet after the collision, both the battling Pokémon staring each other down.  
"Eevee, try again!" I said, commanding him to go in the air once again. As predicted the Skiddo met him in mid-air like before, hitting Eevee in the stomach.  
"Eevee once more!" I ordered.  
"Eevee no! Kolton that's not going to work!" I heard Leon yell. Ignoring him, Eevee went into the air, Skiddo jumping up too. "Full force!" Eevee sent his entire body into the Tackle, as did the Skiddo. Having the superior strength, Skiddo won the battle for a third time, sending Eevee falling towards the ground. "Sand attack!" I shouted. Eevee turned his body round, moments to connecting with the ground, and smacked his hind legs against the small patch of sand next to the river. After seeing that Skiddo had reached the floor before Eevee twice, I presumed the same would apply for a third time, giving the perfect opportunity to cause him to become preoccupied.

"Tackle!" For the final time, Eevee slammed his body against Skiddo as it had the sand in his eyes. The attack sent Skiddo to the floor, sprawling and shaking his head to get the sand out. I took advantage of the opportunity by grabbing a tiny Pokéball, clicking the centre and throwing it at the Skiddo. The grass type disappeared in a flash of white, with the Pokéball shaking on the floor. Me and Eevee apprehensively stood still, hoping the Pokéball would work and holding our breath.  
*POP*  
I quickly ran over to the Pokéball and picked it up, ecstatic at the fact that I wad won another Pokémon battle, and caught my first Pokémon at just three days into my Pokémon journey.

"Thank you Skiddo. Welcome to my team." I whispered to the Pokémon.  
"Yo, that was clever, sorry I doubted you." Leon said, folding his arms.  
"Thanks." I replied, clicking the now small Pokéball onto my belt designed for six spaces.  
"Nah seriously, baiting Skiddo twice and then countering it in the third go was quite smart."  
"Yeah, I guess."  
"100% battle win record and 100% contest win record."  
"But with two battles and one conte-."  
"Don't ruin the moment." Leon laughed, cutting me off.

"So, what you thinking for your gym battle." Leon asked as we stood beside Nurse Joy's counter, awaiting our Pokémon to be healed.  
"Simple. Wing it." I shrugged.  
"Really?!"  
"Sure, I don't know what to expect, so why plan for something you can't predict."  
"Well...I...can't fault that logic." Leo half-heartedly sighed.  
"Hey, you know back at the contest, the women said that was from here, is that true?"  
"Huh, um...yeah. Why?" He quickly replied.  
"Um...nothing it's fine." "Anyway, enough questions about me. I barely know anything about you. Any other people you found of your journey?"  
"I see you've made a friend."  
I recognized the voice.  
"Duncan." I spat, turning around to see the taller bully.

"Friend of yours?" Leo asked.  
"You think I'd become friends with that weakling?" Duncan stared at him with sharp, evil eyes.  
"What do you want?" I almost shouted at Duncan.  
"Nothing really, just checking to see if you've made it anywhere with that Eevee." Duncan looked down at me.  
"Kolton and Eevee have done very well. They won a battle, and they were able to catch a Pokémon single handed." Leo argued back.  
"So you're telling me he can't even win a badge?"  
"I haven't challenged it yet you idiot." I replied.  
"It doesn't matter, you'll surely lose, you can't get any farther with a weak trainer and Pokémon." He turned away.  
"Well if you're so confident in that, why don't we battle then!" I stared him down.  
"... Tomorrow, 9 pm, make sure you don't waste my time." He spat, looking over his shoulder before walking out of the Pokecentre.  
"What's his problem?" Leo sighed, resting his head on his hands.  
"I don't know, but I vow to beat him, Pokémon are our friends." I shook my head, looking down at the ground in disgust that a person like that would exist.

"So let me get this straight," Leon chuckled, "You are going into this gym with a newly caught Skiddo, an Eevee with three legs, no clue what type the gym is or the leader's battle style and no plan."  
"Yep." I laughed, quite nervous as we walked down the street to the gym.  
"You do you realize that you basically have to rely on your skill alone?"  
"Yep."  
"You're crazy."  
"Very true." I sighed as we reached the doors of the blank gym.  
"Are sure your ready?" Leo asked.  
"No." I laughed, pushing the glass doors open.  
Immediately, the smell of fresh water encased my nose. The walls of the gym were covered in a sapphire blue and stands and seats stood above the water streams — both filled with a few people — either side of a battlefield that was identical to the one at the Pokecentre, only bigger. Above the battlefield, four monitors displayed the Pokemon gym symbol, with a gray triangle with a Pokeball on the left side of it.

"Good luck man." Leon whispered, nodding towards the gym leader the opposite side of the gym. A woman stood confidently with a blue skirt and top, with a small, blue Pokémon with a single large claw stood by her foot.  
"Welcome to the Biotin Gym, what's your name and where are you from?" The women called out.  
"Kolton, from Almond Village." I replied, jumping onto the battlefield, now separated from the metal floor and now on the brown ground.  
"Kolton, I am Lynn, the Biotin Gym Leader, be ready for a good challenge."  
"I've been looking for one." I smirked, not allowing her to show me up in the verbal challenge.

"Good. Now please, let us send out our Pokémon."

"Very well." I looked down at the ground, grabbing the only Pokéball from my belt, and swinging it with my right hand out in front of me with enthusiasm.

"Clauncher!"

"Skiddo!"


	8. The First Gym

"Tackle!" I shouted.  
Skiddo charged towards the small Clauncher with notable speed, kicking up dirt as he did so. Lynn didn't as much flinch as Skiddo approached her Pokémon.  
"Vice Grip."  
As soon as Skiddo reached it, the Clauncher reached forward with its massive claw and gripped Skiddo with great strength on either side of his head. Skiddo tried to escape the grip, but it just seemed to give the Clauncher more aggravation and tightened its claw.  
"Water Gun."  
In point blank range, the Clauncher opened up its mouth and shot out a blast of water, letting go of Skiddo's head, thus sending him spiralling through the air, doing a lot of damage.  
"Damn it," I whispered, "Skiddo, return." I held out its Pokeball, subsequently sending it back into it.  
"Really, returning it within two attacks?" Lynn questioned. "Very well, Clauncher return."  
"Eevee, you got this."  
"Seaking, time to battle."  
"Eevee, Growl!"  
Just like his trainer instructed, Eevee tilted his head and adorably growled towards the Seaking.  
"Supersonic!"  
"Dodge it!" I cried out quickly.  
Whilst the Seaking was preparing to use the Supersonic, Eevee had already dodged out of the way of its original position.  
"Charge towards it!"  
The Normal-Type trusted his trainer, but still, a little reluctantly ran towards the Seaking, kicking up sand just as Skiddo had.  
"Sand-Attack!"  
Eevee immediately knew the plan, and pushed off his back legs to the side to kick sand in Seaking's face.  
"Now Tackle!"  
Taking advantage of being fully comfortable in the situation, due to performing the combination twice before, Eevee launched his entire body to hit Seaking, making it spin around a little.  
This proved to be a fatal mistake.  
"Return with Megahorn!"  
Using the momentum the Tackle had given it Seaking began to charge up a very powerful Megahorn, with its small horn on the top oh its head quickly growing bigger until it was a massive, white attack.  
"Eevee!" I warned, but it proved to be pointless.  
The Seaking hit Eevee with a fully charged Megahorn, gaining extra power from the Tackle that Eevee had hit. The Evolution Pokémon was sent flying high into the air, much to the dismay of me and Leon.  
"Supersonic!"  
The Seaking flailed its body about until it suddenly shot its forehead into the direction towards Eevee. This time, without being able to dodge from the pain and being in mid air, the invisible attack connected with him, making the fall caused by the Megahorn that much more painful.  
"Hm, seems like we both have our combinations of moves," Lynn commented, "Seaking, return. Clauncher, time to battle."  
Replacing the large Goldfish Pokémon, the fresh Clauncher appeared again, but I lacked the care of the switch. I was too apprehensive about the fate of Eevee in the centre of the Pokeball in the middle.  
The dirt and sand kicked up from his impact on the ground slowly started to fade, to reveal the body of a weak Eevee slowly getting up.  
"Eevee?!" I whispered to my partner.  
"Its useless, he's confused now, you can rarely get through him." Lynn shrugged.  
"Tackle!" I yelled, but, sure enough, my friend, my partner, turned to me with red, hating eyes and snarled towards me. Instead of following my order, he ran around the field and constantly fell over and rammed his head into the ground in confusion.  
"Clauncher, Water Gun!"  
The small Pokémon once again raised its head back and shot forward a jet of water, which without command, Eevee dogged at it frantically scattered across the field.  
"Come on Eevee," I whispered, "Break out of it! Tackle!"  
Once again, Eevee snarled at me, but also did launch himself into the Clauncher. Recovering from missing the Water Gun left it open for a moment, and Eevee took that time to unleash a barrage of Tackles, not losing stamina or tiring out between shots, and leaving no window of opportunity for it to counter with Vice Grip like it had with Skiddo. After a minute of repetitive tackles, Eevee began to stop and limped away, but still growling under its breath. The Clauncher however, was immobile and had fainted from the pain.  
"Grr, fine. Seaking go!" Lyn shouted, replacing the Clauncher with the Goldfish Pokémon.  
"Eevee, return." I tried to break through to my partner, who had now dropped to the floor due to his tiredness, but the rapid panting showed that he was still awake.  
"Megahorn, quick!"  
"Eevee!" I spat in a panic, seeing the Seaking approaching him with the charged up bug move and fast pace. Just before it would connect, Eevee got up and launched himself backwards...into the area where I was stood, with the Seaking backing away into its side of the field.  
"EEVEE STAY!" I yelled, holding the normal type up to my chest, stopping him from escaping in anger. "Skiddo, come on." I threw out my Pokeball, still somehow clutching onto Eevee as I did so.  
"Tackle."  
"Horn Attack."  
Both Pokémon charged up their attacks with zero hesitation and sent themselves crashing towards their opponent. As they collided, it took moments before the both of them were covered in a collection of dust, but the multiple pained cries of the grass type soon followed by eerie silence soon let everyone know who had won the bout. After the smoke faded, the limp figure of Skiddo was seen, eyes closed and body unmoving. The sight of this seemed to stop Eevee in his attempts to break free from my grasp, as it calmed down after seeing him fainted.  
"It's ok Skiddo, you did great." I whispered underneath my breath.  
I looked down at Eevee, and the vicious, red eyes started to disappear, and his normal brown ones started to form.  
"Eevee?" I asked, but the determined look in his eyes and landed leap from my arms let me know that was back to normal.  
"Horn Attack. "Lyn commanded, clearly not phased by the shift.  
The Goldfish Pokémon tilted its head forward and launched in Eevee's direction.  
"Leap on top of it."  
Not fully understanding my plan, but still trusting me, Eevee followed through with my idea, jumping on top of Seaking, holding onto its now small horn with his legs and one good arm.  
"Really? Supersonic into the air!" Lyn's obscure command was unexpected to say the least, despite this though Seaking still shot attack into the air, a bit of wind and dust showing where it is.  
"Keep holding on until the Supersonic is close." I called, revealing my plan.  
"Flail! Shake it off and get out of there!" Lyn shouted in desperation. The Seaking attempted to jump around or shake Eevee off. He held on, but not without much discomfort, only recently recovering from his confusion.  
"Wait for it!" I ordered, seeing the small collection of dust quickly approaching them.  
"Now!" Eevee quickly jumped off the Seaking, its own Supersonic hitting it directly.  
"Ah, Megahorn!"  
Exactly like it had worked on Eevee, the Supersonic sent the Seaking into a confused frenzy, making it send itself all across the battlefield and causing substantial damage to itself, the red, hating eyes ignoring Lyn.  
"Eevee, lets end this, Tackle!"  
Hoping that Seaking wouldn't just turn around and attack Eevee, he hopped of both his hind legs and connected with the Seaking with immense force, sending it flying across the battlefield and into the water. No growl or cry was heard when I resurfaced, signifying its defeat.


	9. Onwards

"Seaking return." Lyn sighed, momentarily looking down to the ground.  
"Skiddo, come on out." I threw the Pokeball, releasing the now conscious grass type next to the confidently standing Eevee.  
"Guys!" I shouted, running towards my partners with the largest amount of joy I think I had ever had. I dropped down to their level an hugged them both, ecstatic with energy and happiness.  
"You both did so amazing." I smiled, grateful for the win that us three had definitely deserved.  
"Well, it was a hard fought battle, "Lyn commented as she approached us, "But in the end you bested me." She shrugged, obviously not shaken too much by the loss.  
"Thank you." I sighed, quite happy that the stress and heat of the battle were soon leaving me.  
"This is your first badge right?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"Well then it is my honour to grant you with, not only the Aqua Badge, but a badge case for you to store your badges in." Lyn smiled, revealing both of the items. The badge case was a simple, col black, with eight different, unfilled spaces of various shapes inside it. The Aqua Badge itself was reminiscent of a tidal wave, with its sharp ending, light blue colour and obscure shape overall. I took the presented badge and badge case, proudly holding it in my hand and slipping it's specific slot in the badge case before closing it again.  
"Kolton!"  
Suddenly I was brought back out of my thoughts, to see an energetic Leon rushing down the stairs and rushing towards us.  
"That was amazing man! The way you used Sand-Attack and Tackle in the beginning, and the way you used Seaking's own Supersonic against it was just-"  
"I know man, calm down." I laughed, grabbing his outstretched hand, which unexpectedly turned into a quick hug and pat on the back.  
"Indeed, that was innovative. This was defiantly a great battle, well done." Lyn commented.

-  
"To Leon and Kolton, for their first contest and gym win." Leon happily toasted with...a bottle of water and bacon sandwich.  
"Amazing." I chuckled as I set down the food bowls for Growlithe, Flabébé, Eevee and Skiddo.  
"Oh yeah, whilst you was getting the food, Duncan came to the Pokecentre." He stated before stuffing his mouth with a big bite of food.  
"Did he say anything?" I asked as I took a bite of my own sandwich.  
"He said that he couldn't be bothered to wait for you, so he's just going to carry on his own journey and wait for the next time you two meet."  
"Really?! So he's backed out of a challenge he made." I laughed at his quite humiliating cowardice.  
"Yep, but look at it this way, it'll make your win against him all the more satisfying." He smiled, obviously picturing the scene of the bullies defeat in his mind.  
"Very true." I nodded.  
"Speaking of which, we carry with our journey tomorrow, where to next?" Leo asked.  
"Give me a second. "I finished my meal and quickly washed my hands under the sink before sitting on Leo's bed and holding my Pokedex up.  
The device screen quickly grew in size until it showed a map of the entire region.  
"Looks like we make our way through Route 4, until we get to Sumac City." I said, pointing to the northern path that would lead to the city.  
"Ok then, we better tuck in for the night then, big day tomorrow." Leo stated before reaching over to turn off the light.  
"Wait!"  
"What?" He shot up, turning the light back on.  
"I don't wanna get bit by Eevee again." I chuckled, quickly getting into bed before giving the thumbs up to Leo, but not after another smirk could be seen by the Evolution Pokémon.

-  
"Alright, so if we're going to make it to Sumac City in time, we're gonna have to realistically make it halfway through Route 4 by sunset." I commented, looking at the Pokedex once more as we left the Pokémon centre. "What's actually on Route 4 that makes the journey that long?" I asked Leon.  
"Well, first from here its a load of fields, and then quite a large forest, like, loads bigger than the one from Route 2 to here. Then a bit of flat land, and you're there." He replied, picking up Growlithe so his front paws were hooked over Leo's arms.  
"Damn, looks like we've got quite a journey, eh?" I asked Eevee, looking up at him as much as I could before he would fall off my head. However, from yesterdays performance, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't.  
"You ever been to Sumac City?"  
"Nope. Everything I've needed in the past 14 years had been here in Biotin. I know most of the way for the first half of the trip, but after that it's down to luck." He nervously chuckled.  
"Contest?"  
"What?"  
"Is there a contest being held there."  
"From my knowledge, no. I don't think they even have a gym there either, but I guess it's what happens sometimes. Not every place has to have a thing to do." He shrugged. As we carried on walking out of Biotin Town, the dirt pathway morphed back into the gravel and stone one that started off my journey. The slow disappearance of the numerous houses in Biotin Town steadily becoming engulfed by the descending path, until the town was useable. A couple of proudly sprouting trees signified the fact that we had entered Route 4.  
The tall, green creations of life were few and far between, with largely overgrown grass filling up the rest of the empty space. Jumpluff, Budew's, Sewaddle's and countless other grass or bug types were seen hiding within the trees or bushes. The chirping of Hoohoot's, Pidove's and even a Mothim at one point any rare moment of wasn't much talk between me and Leon, more him taking the lead and my attention being spent on Eevee. It took a long while, but soon enough, the small amount of trees started to lessen, and the overgrown grass turned into a emerald flat land.  
The more we walked, the more of nature was apparent, as flowers of bright, vibrant colours shot up from the ground and soft, lime leaves crunched underneath mine and Leo's trainers. It was around midday when we finally stopped for a break, setting our Pokémon out of their Pokéballs and allowing them to play with the ones that were already out whilst we got some rest.  
"Kolton, can I ask you something?" Leo asked as we say down on a fairly big rock.  
"Sure, what's up?"  
"Well, having a dream is good and all: like you wanting to be the Pokémon League Champion and me, becoming a Contest Star King. However, what's after that? What happens after you achieve your dream?"  
"Well, the point of a dream is to be a motivation, something you work towards and do anything you need to get to it, right?"  
"I mean, yeah, but once you do that, it'll be fulfilling for the moment, but eventually you'll feel nothing again, and want another dream to achieve."  
"I don't think it's like that. I think that the fulfilling 'moment' will stay for a long time, just because of the sheer fact that you've worked so hard to get where you are. If you have another dream after your contest wins, then, sure, you can chase them, but for now, don't worry about the future, because that's a long time away. Right now, focus on one thing, your one current dream."  
"...You know Kolton, you're probably the most open minded person I know. You've seriously got your mind in the right place."  
"Thanks." I replied, hoping off the rock and looking over to our playing Pokémon.  
"You know, isn't it weird that nobody talked about the attack?"  
"What?"  
"Well, when the Pokecentre was attacked, it was surely a robbing because they tried to take the Egg, so surely more Pokémon had to have been taken. Even so, people didn't seemed phased by it, and nobody talked about anything remotely to do with it after. The Pokecentre wasn't searched and by the time everyone was focused on Eevee, the robbers would've surely got away. It's weird."  
"Maybe they forgot?"  
"How do you just forget a robbing? "I scoffed.  
"No clue, but something must have happened. We'll just have to keep an eye out then." Leo shrugged, putting Flabébé in her Pokeball. I followed suit and put the Skiddo back into its Pokeball after a reassuring nod, picked up Eevee and attempted to walk again. That was, before a sizzle of electricity stopped me in the tracks.  
"Woah!" I yelled, looking back round to see a small, black, blue and yellow Pokémon standing proudly upon the stone.  
"Damn." Leon whispered, as I quickly grabbed my Pokedex and raised it up to the Shinx's level.  
**Shinx, Electric Type, Flash Pokémon**  
**1'08" 21lbs**  
**Ability: Intimidate**  
**Moves: Tackle, Charge, Spark, Baby-Doll Eyes**  
**When it feels its in danger or trouble, Shinx's fur glows, and young ones will flee at the first moment it's opponent is distracted. When Shinx's muscles extend and contract, it can slowly create electricity.**  
"Alright then, rock paper scissors?" I confidently asked, knowing that Leo had the exact same interest into the electric type as me.  
"Sure." He shrugged, presenting his curled up ball fist and facing towards me.  
"Rock."  
"Paper."  
"Scissors."  
"SHOOT!" Leon yelled, so I instinctively kepi my hand in a fist.  
"No, shoot!" He pointed over to the Shinx, who was now off the stone and running into the forest.  
"Damn it, come on." I said, quickly holding onto Eevee with both hands again and sprinting after the electric type, with Leon in fast pursuit. Because of its small size, the Shinx was able to run very quickly, and weave in and out of small spaces to try and evade us. The Pokémon seemed to get a bit of enjoyment out of the activity, jumping between branch that was sticking out of the ground and bouncing off trees to gain more momentum however after a few minutes, Leon had obviously had enough of the charade.  
"Growlithe, Ember!" He yelled, still sprinting after the Shinx, he carefully put the Puppy Pokémon on the ground, who then shot out a warm flame and hit the Shinx. The blast sent it flying forward, and when we finally caught up with it after being stopped in its tracks, the Shinx had stopped running and was defensively growling at the fire type.  
I sighed and frowned at the fact that Leon had been the lucky one to have a battle and possibly capture the Shinx, but wasn't too annoyed. Besides, I would get to watch a rather interesting battle between the fire puppy and electric dog, neither one of them backing down as the other snarled with ferocious intent.


	10. The Road Ahead

"Bite!" Leon yelled.  
The Puppy Pokémon opened its mouth out wide and jumped off its hind legs, quickly enough connecting with the move that it seemed that the Shinx didn't even react. However, by the time Growlithe was back by Leon, the Shinx had a familiar, sunset yellow aura around its body.  
"Ember!"  
As it charged up its shot, the electric type didn't move again, but closed its eyes, and the yellow aura around it started to brighten further. Growlithe shot out its attack, and the flames engulfed the Shinx, causing to cry out in pain, but as soon as the attack had disappeared, it didn't seem as though the attack did anything.  
"What the hell!" Leon said in confusion.  
"It's using Charge, every time it uses it, its defence against special attacks increases, thus making Ember weaker." I explained.  
"How on earth do you know this?!" He asked.  
"Pokedex. Never mind that, look." I pointed, seeing the Shinx using Baby-Doll eyes to lower Growlithe's attack, attempting to try and make every bit of offence Growlithe would have weaker.  
"Bite!"Once again, Growlithe jumped off its hind legs and shot itself at the Shinx. Suddenly, the Shinx did the same, but not before its whole body was covered in an immense amount of sizzling electricity, essentially covering double Shinx's size. The electrically charged tackle hit Growlithe with a tremendous amount of force, sending it immediately flying through the air and hitting directly into the ground. Growlithe's eyes were shut tight and didn't respond to Leon at all. It was clear who had won. "Damn." Leo sighed, picking up the fainted Growlithe, actively ignoring the smirking Shinx.  
"Look, it's alright man, you win some, you lose some." I put my arm around him, him obviously being annoyed by his quick loss.  
"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, how do we get out of this forest." He nervously chuckled.  
"Good question." I replied, placing Eevee on my head as I looked around to get any form of bearings I could. The wild chase for the Shinx had got us easily lost.  
"Footprints?"  
"Actually, yes, good idea." I commented, quickly looking around on the dirt floor for any indication of out path here. Due to the dirt being quite dry, it was rare to see any mark of our path enough, it only took a minute or two to find a barely visible set of footprints.  
"Here," I pointed,"Follow this, we get back on the path, and then onwards to Sumac City." I sighed.  
"Crisis averted, huh?" Leon chuckled.

"Yeah, could you imagine if we had got stuck there." I shuddered at the thought of being trapped in a forest forever, having no means of being able to contact anyone to let us know of out tragic fate. And all to try and catch a single Shinx. It was also around this point that I realised that the electric type had started to follow us too, maybe to get back into the clearing like us. The trip did admittedly take a lot longer than I had thought, with an hour of constant walking becoming quite draining. It didn't help that the clouds had also taken it upon themselves to darken, and a sudden spit of rain had started to make me panic. As more and more raindrops started to form, and in quick succession, me, Leon and the Shinx silently decided to start running again, however the footprints were starting to disappear as the rain turned the ground in wet mud. It took another minute or two, but eventually we did get to a clearing...with no field in sight. Only a rather large cliff ahead of us, and it became worryingly apparent we had strayed far off our course.

"Look!" Leon pointed, noticing an orange and yellow glow coming from a hole in the cliff. Out of blind desperation, we all ran into the hole and I quickly sighed in relief from being able to escape from the constant rain.  
"Hey guys!" I looked up to see a girl, maybe a little older than me, sitting down next to a warm fire with a Misdreavus and Monferno.  
"Um...hello?" Leo asked.  
"Hi. Come on, don't be shy, fire's warm." She shrugged, gesturing us to come over. With a glance of equal confusion between each other, me and Leon both slowly walked over to the surprisingly kind girl, with the Shinx following us too.  
"You caught the worst of it then huh." She chuckled as we sat down next to the fire, that was being occasionally bring re-lit by the Monferno's tail, referring to our wet clothes.  
"You two don't talk much, do you? Well, I'm Symphony, and this is Monferno and Misdreavus." She extended her arm out to Leo.  
"Well, thank you for letting us here, I'm Leon, but people just call me Leo, and this is Growlithe." He nodded, shaking her hand.  
"Yeah, thanks, anyway, I'm Kolton and here's Eevee." I looked down at the normal type, quick to sit down next to the Misdreavus and talk to it, with Growlithe and Monferno having what they could achieve of a conversation.  
"Cool, what happened to its leg?"  
"Some people tried to take him as an Egg, I stopped it but he got dropped and the Egg cracked early."  
"Wait, was this in Biotin Town?"  
"Yeah, why did you hear about it?" Leon replied.  
"It was on a bulletin board once, but it disappeared the day after, which is weird because an attempted theft usually gets more attention than that." She explained.  
"Knew it." I whispered to Leon.  
"What about the Shinx, and what you guys doing here?"  
"We were trying to make it to Sumac City but we got lost when we tried to catch the Shinx. We thought we were following out own footprints, which I'm guessing were yours, and it rained, so we ran in here."  
"Damn, you guys suck at directions. Right now you're like, 3, 4 miles away from Sumac City."  
"What are you doing here too?"  
"I'm staying here for the night and then leaving in the morning."  
"That quick?"  
"Yeah, no point in staying here, besides I wanna see loads of Pokémon, it's my dream. And you can't really do that staying in one of, which, go on then, what's your stories?" She folded her arms, quite interested in us.  
"Do we have enough time?" Leon asked.  
"Do you wanna look outside?" She replied.  
"Fair enough," I laughed, "Okay then."

"Just...five...more min-" I whispered to whatever was brushing against my face.  
"Eevee!" My partner cried out.  
"Alright." I groaned, very reluctantly sitting up and getting out of my green sleeping bag. I had seen Leo comfortably sleeping in his light purple one, and Symphony had her own sea blue, alright she was half hanging out of it. The fire stopped had stopped burning and Growlithe, Flabébé and Monferno were all leaning on one another whilst Misdreavus sat on his head. The Shinx was the only one who was on its own. I guess Pokémon got along really quickly.  
I picked up Eevee as I slowly woke up further, walking out of the small cave as I did so. The ground was still a little moist, but was walkable.  
"Tell you what Eevee, you wanna go up there?" I asked, pointing up the cliff, to which he nodded at.  
I carried on walking, being careful to keep the cliff was always on the right side of me as to not get lost again. Slowly, the cliff started to descend in height, until it got to a point where I could jump up to a point where I could walk up it. I was slow and careful as not to tragically fall, but the cliff was fairly flat, so I didn't need to worry that much. It was incredibly nice to walk up. The bitter morning cold was quite annoying, but apart from the walk was really tranquil and pleasing in that it gave me time to reflect.

It took around 10 minutes to get to the top, but the view was absolutely worth it with a turquoise blue sky roaring into life and lime trees shooting upright, towering over the majority of the scenery. A sudden crack startled me quite a bit, and I quickly turned around to see the electric type that had followed us stood at the top with me.  
"Shinx!" It cried, walking towards me and Eevee with the same expression it had with Leon.  
"You want us to battle you, right?" I asked, and it surprisingly shook its head. It once again walked closer to me, until it was directly underneath me. Out of the blue, it jumped up and touched its nose against one of my Pokéballs attached to my belt. I grabbed it and saw it shake several times...until it finally popped and had signalled that I had 'caught' Shinx.  
I quickly released the Puppy Pokémon out of its Pokéballs, but its content and happy expression on its face pretty much explained it all.  
"You want me to be your trainer?" I questioned, and with a satisfactory nod, I called Shinx back to its Pokeball in silent joy.


	11. The First Clash

"Yo, look man, I'm not annoyed at you, I just think it's a little unfair that I had to battle it, lose and then you get it by doing nothing." Leon yawned.  
"I don't know either man." I chuckled, ignoring his obvious annoyance at me and stroking Eevee's fur as it sat on my left shoulder. Growlithe was sat upon Leon's hood and Symphony was giving Monferno a Piggyback as each of our starting Pokemon talked to each other.  
"Symphony, what's your story anyway, we told you ours yesterday, it's only fair that you tell us ours." Leon yawned again, making it more apparent he wasn't someone who would normally get up early.  
"Meh, there's not much to talk about, I got bored in my region and moved here for a fresh start with a Chimchar, who evolved in Monferno and Misdreavus."  
"How have found this region, practically nobody knows about it." He sighed.  
"Family friend, but I've got no clue how she found it either." She admitted. "Anyway I digress. We better get a move on if you two wanna head out to Sumac, unless you want to spend another night in a random cave."  
"Say no more. "Leo chuckled.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us." Leon asked once again.  
"Leo, dude, I'm alright. I've got goals I wanna achieve and so do you two, my goals just require a different path to you two."  
"Well, thank you for your help." I nodded, being able to see a few houses over the field that we was stood on.  
"No sweat man, I'll probably see you two around, give me a shout if you need me." She turned her back before waving too us.  
"How are you meant to hear us." Leo shouted, to which Symphony smiled, shrugged, grabbed Monferno and started to run back the way we had came.

"Damn." He sighed, starting to walk nearer to the City.  
"Cheer up man." I followed him, noticing that Growlithe had hopped onto my other shoulder and was now talking to Eevee.  
"Yeah...I know."  
"Look, it's alright, besides, we made it to Sumac City." I pointed to the sign that did indeed signal we had arrived at our next designation. The city was quite big, with definitely more houses than Biotin Town, but nothing too impressive. It just seemed that every town or city grew in size and tried to one up the previous one, but I wasn't complaining, with the contrast of simple and detailed designs of some of the buildings bewildering my naïve eyes.  
"Hm, I honestly thought it would've been bigger." Leon said, putting his hands behind his head.  
"Same, there's basically nothing separating it from, say, Biotin apart from being a little bigger." I added, seeing the familiar red building we was heading to.  
"True." He chuckled, before we both walked into the sudden, blinding lights of the Pokecentre.

"Thank you Nurse Joy." I nodded, letting Eevee hop onto my shoulder and clipping the two remaining Pokéballs onto my belt.  
"You know, we could really make it the next city over today." I said to Leon as we walked out of the Pokecentre.  
"Where's that the-"  
"Wait." I said, walking over a few steps to see if I had seen him right.  
"What?" Leon asked.  
"Is that Duncan over there?" I pointed, seeing him start to walk down a pathway that led out of the city, accompanied by another person.  
"Duncan!" I yelled, and sure enough, the face of him was seen turning around with a smirk. I could see him immediately stare into my eyes as he walked closer to us, looking right through me whilst the other person walked over with surprising confidence.  
"It's you." He remarked," Speaking of, I never got your name."  
"It doesn't matter, are we going to battle or are you just going to walk out like you did to our first one we tried."  
"'Walk out.' Your friend said you was too scared to battle me."  
"As if!" Leon yelled in defence.  
"Don't drag him into this, are we battling or not?" I stood in front of Leon now, grabbing Duncan's attention once more.  
"Well, you see, I've made a friend of my own here in Quillon." He said, putting his arm over him and. 'Quillon' was a smug, confident figure, with folded arms and a threatening atmosphere. I noticed he was looking down at Eevee, clearly seeing it's broken leg with a smirk. He was barely smaller than Duncan in size, but still tall enough to noticeably give Leon some discomfort.  
"What's say we have a 2-2 battle." Quillon said, and even without an answer the duo walked backwards to give clear room for the battle.  
"You alright with this?" I asked Leo.  
"Yeah...yeah, lets do this." He nodded, nodding at Growlithe.

"Growlithe, you got this!"  
"Riolu, it's time!"  
"Nidoran, be ready for battle!"  
"Shinx, come on out!"

All four of the Pokemon roared out in battle, confident and primed to fight. Each of them stared down the other on the opposite side, attempting to gain an intimidation factor early on.  
"Quick Attack to Shinx!" Duncan yelled.  
"Tackle!" I shouted back.  
Both Pokémon collided with each other, with the blue blur getting to Shinx first, but the Electric type colliding into it with more force, thus creating a equal clash.  
"Ember onto the Riolu!"  
Growlithe quickly churned its head backwards and shot out a collection of fire. Recovering from the countered attack from Shinx, this Riolu was oblivious to the fire that was approaching it. However, this meant both me and Leo didn't notice the Nidoran approaching his fire type.  
"Double Kick!"  
The Poison Pin Pokémon jumped up in the air and kicked Growlithe first in the stomach and then in the head, sending it flying backwards onto the brick floor. The Nidoran and Riolu stood back on their side of the field, the Riolu having blackened burn marks on its skin, as Shinx stood prepared next a weakened Growlithe. During that time, I noticed Leo whisper something into its ear.  
"Charge."  
"Bite on Nidoran!"  
As Shinx stood its ground, it started to cover itself with a yellow glow and Growlithe quickly ran towards the Poison type.  
"Double Kick!"  
The Nidoran met Growlithe near its side of the field and used its forward momentum to kick the Growlithe in the stomach. However, as soon as the Nidoran kicked upwards to kick it in the head again, Growlithe leant its head backwards so it kicked nothing but air. Then the Fire type bared its teeth and bit the Nidoran in the stomach, causing a cry of pain to come out of its mouth. Growlithe quickly threw the Poison Type out of its mouth, causing it to fly in the air and landing on the ground with a discomforting thud.  
"Quick Attack." Duncan calmly said.

The Riolu ran at Growlithe with a impressive amount of speed and collided with it with an even more impressive amount of force. The smack of the collision, the whimper of Growlithe as it fell to the floor and the immobility and silence that ensued from the Puppy Pokémon showed its defeat. Leon looked at the ground as he walked over and picked up Growlithe in his arms, comforting and stroking his Pokémon.  
"He's fine, you got this." Leo nodded as he noticed my look of concern. Shinx stood confident, being the freshest of all of the Pokémon on the field, as the other two Pokémon reset themselves ready for the next altercation. At this point we had obtained somewhat of an eager crowd, creating a large circle around the battle.  
"Quick Attack."  
"Poison Sting."  
As soon as Riolu was approaching Eevee, a sharp, poisonous dart was seen flying towards the normal type.  
"Tackle on Nidoran." I yelled in response.  
Shinx quickly leaped away from Riolu's attack, but was also running head on into the Poison Sting. However, immediately as the dart connected with its torso, the same glow that Shinx had when it used Charge surrounded it and the dart has almost no affect of it. This allowed him to run at the Nidoran at full force, sending it flying through the air in a similar fashion to that of Growlithe, and just like the Puppy Pokémon, the aftermath saw the Poison Type fainted.  
The crows seemed to collectively react in awe at the loss, with much mixed reactions coming from the circle as Quillon he called his Pokémon back into its Pokeball.  
Now it came down to Riolu and Shinx, each standing at opposite ends of the enemies side, staring at each other just like they had started the battle.

"Feint."  
"Dodge it!"  
With Riolu quickly running at the Flash Pokémon, also forming a dark, shadowy attack on its fist, Shinx did move out of the way of the attack with moments to spare.  
"Spark!" I called.  
Within close range, Shinx's glow seen twice prior took shape again. However, there was also another, sharp, galvanic glimmer radiating on top of it. As it turned from dodging the Feint, it launched itself supreme power at the fighting type.  
"Counter! "Duncan quickly yelled.  
Almost of out desperation, the Riolu took the attack and retaliated with its own powerful strike. Cries of pain was heard form both sides Pokémon, with minimal dirt being kicked up from the encounter. Both Pokémon stumbled away from each other and slowly swayed back and forth in tiredness...before both of them collapsed at the exact same time with both closed eyes.


	12. Catching Up

**Writers Block Sucks**

"I mean, look at this way, we didn't lose." I said, letting my bag drop to the floor of the Pokecentre room.  
"Look man, don't overthink it, you win some, you lose some, you draw some." I added, noticing Leon's slumped posture.

_"See, even you don't trust your Eevee enough to let it fight me."_  
_"I'm just saving him for the next time we battle."  
"Whatever, your friend's an absolute pushover too. Couldn't even knock one random Nidoran Quillon caught an hour ago."_  
_"And you couldn't knock out Shinx 2 v 1."_  
_"Whatever, I still didn't get your name."_  
_"You'll know it the day I beat you."_

"Come on then." I opened up the door and picked up Eevee after it stumbled once or twice on its leg.  
"Where we going now?" He asked, standing up and following me out of the door.  
"No clue, what do you like to do?"  
"Contests."  
"No, as in, a hobby, what do you did you used do in your free time?"  
"Um... I liked gardening, dancing was a thing and I always loved shopping I guess."  
"Then that's what we're doing."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, if it cheers you up."  
"Thanks man." He nodded, both of us walking out of the building.

"Look, all I'm saying is that the Ronin Set is much better than the Geisha set. Nothing can compete with that soup." I said.  
"Are you mad? That mashed fish and meat were well nice."  
"Whatever you say." I chuckled, happy to see my friend happy again.  
"You know...how do you get better at battling?"  
"Um...I guess experience and the team you pick. If you have a unique tragedy in each battle then that could help too, but having a strong, diverse team that builds on each others weaknesses is really important."  
"How do you know this?"  
"My...a friend told me it once, so I guess I've kept it with me."  
"Yeah but...you so confident when you battle. Like, you have a strategy even if it lasts a couple of turns. You just seem better than me."  
"I wouldn't say so, I think it's just you talking yourself down. If you think about it, you never lost."  
"Yeah but...you did defeat the other two on your own."  
"Not all on my own tho-"  
"Woah!"Leon suddenly shouted, running to a glass shop window.  
"What is it?"  
"The hat." He said, pointing to a plain black hat with a yellow Pokéball sewed into the right corner.  
"Cool." I added, walking into the shop.  
"Hello, what can I do for you today?" A women asked, sat behind a glass desk.  
"Can I have that hat please." Leo pointed to the clothing again. The women nodded and reached under her desk, presenting an identical copy of the hat. As Leon gladly studied the it, I looked down at the glass the women was sat behind, and noticed a silver necklace, with a circular, dark magenta jewel at the bottom of it. Leon had also walked over and was eying a particular ear piercing with a black outline and a silver spiral pattern weaving down it, with a circular shape missing from when the spirals were to meet in the middle on the left piercing.  
"Ah, sugilite." The shopkeeper said, getting out the necklace and then the ear piercings. "A rare gemstone and quite delicate, but still a beautiful one nonetheless."  
"Woah." I whispered, holding the gem in my hand, its cold and flat surface creating a sudden, pleasant feeling. "What do you think Eevee?"? I showed the Evolution Pokémon the necklace, getting a reassuring "vee" from him.  
"A good thing about all jewellery nowadays, is this." She said, holding the necklace and carefully popping the stone out of its metal encasing it. "The necklace and piercings both have holes in, ready for if you want to Mega-Evolve your Pokémon."  
"Mega-Evolve?" Leo asked, looing over at Growlithe.  
"It's where a trainers bond with a Pokémon is so close, that they can both join together to make the Pokémon even stronger via a new form. But you have to have a Mega Stone and Key Stone to activate it." I explained, putting back the gemstone back into the necklace.  
"Huh, cool." He said, examining his own peace of jewellery.  
"How much for the piercings, hat and necklace?"  
"30,000 Poke dollars."  
"Damn, how much have you got Kolton? "Leo turned around, checking his own pockets for money.  
"Enough. You wanna split it?"  
"Yeah, sure."  
"Thank you two, safe travels." The woman waved as we walked out of the shop.  
"How do I look?" I said, placing the necklace over my head and tucking it into my t-shirt.  
"With your eyes." Leo sarcastically replied, putting his hat on top of his head.  
"I never knew you had your ears pierced." I commented.  
"Never brought it up," He shrugged, "I used to have a yellow one but I lost it and my family got annoyed, so I've never had another one."  
"Hm. You don't really talk about your family much do you?"  
"I mean...again, they haven't really been brought up in conversation. You're the same, I barely know anything about your life before this."  
"Tell you what then, you ask me a question about me, and I'll ask one question about you."  
"Alright...Um...How is your family?"  
"I've got no clue."  
"I mean, I know you've been away from them, but it hasn't been that long."  
"Oh, you're talking about me being in Almond. Well, lets say it's been...a while."  
"What do you mean?"  
"One question. Right, my turn. How's your family?"  
"Well, I'm a single sibling and before this I lived with my mum and dad. They both have jobs and were quite supportive of my journey and even said that if I really wanted to, I could wait until I'm on the TV to talk to them." He chuckled, attempting to stroke Growlithe but in turn causing the half sleeping fire type to just jump onto his hat.  
"Right, what do you mean by 'it's been a while.'"  
"Uh...it's complicated."  
"How?"  
"It's just, kind of is. I'll talk to you about Almond Village if you want."  
"I mean... I guess?"  
"I lived with...well, I guess I had my own family there. We had our own group of five and we stuck together, but we mostly just had a good time with what we did. There was five of us, but in the end we all went different paths. Who knows how they're doing now?"  
"Wow." He whispered. "Was it cool being able to always stay with your friends?"  
"Yeah, I guess. We obviously had our differences every so often, but even then we always had established sides so none of us were ever alone at any time."

"Right, I'll try again, how does it look." I said, turning to face Leo and pulling the jewel out of my t-shirt.  
"Nice, it suits you." He nodded.  
"Thanks, your peircings are cool too."  
"I know, I really like them."  
"Well, seeing as you're cheered up now, do you wanna head back for today and then finish Route 4 tomorrow?"  
"Sounds like a plan, what place is next?"  
"Um...Paprika City, the capital of Turmeric. Home to the Turmeric League, a gym, a contest hall and days worth of entertainment and excitment filled within this massive city." I replied, reading off my Pokedex.  
"Well...I guess we'll be staying there for a while," Leo shrugged, "Come on then."


	13. Clarification

Ok, just to clarify some things that will come up in later chapters, I have made some rules that I apply when writing 'Adventures In Turmeric', that I would like to make public.

1\. Pokémon can gain experience points/levels either through battle or capture of another Pokémon, even without an Exp. Share.

2\. Pokémon can also gain experience/points when journeying with their trainer automatically, without being involved in a battle or capture of another Pokémon. This helps to cut down the amount of filler chapters there would be, if every time a Pokémon needed to gain levels, they would have to constantly battle other wild Pokémon.

3\. Pokémon cannot learn new moves/evolve using either of the first two rules, and a new move(s)/evolution **must **obtained in the middle of or after a battle or capture of a new Pokémon.

4\. TM's/HM's are part of a Pokémon's move set and can be learnt via level up, simply so there aren't any unneeded filler chapters used searching for TM's/HM's

5\. Trainers all across the region can participate in the Turmeric Pokémon League, after obtaining all 8 badges of the region's gym leaders. The winner of this tournament not only wins a trophy and a cash prize, but also gets the opportunity to battle the regions Elite 4 and, afterwards, Champion. If the Champion is replaced, they are moved down to the 4th Elite 4 member, the 1st elite 4 member is replaced by the previous 2nd Elite 4 member.

6\. Anyone can join the Turmeric League and challenge the Elite 4 and Champion, as long as they have the correct amount of gym badges.


End file.
